The Curse of the Kings

Absolute top-notch Holt this one. Clearly inspired by The Curse of Tutankhamun (she even names a patch of land Carter’s Meadow, presumably after Howard Carter), Egypt is the perfect setting for a Holt mystery romance. The first half of the book though is set back in England, with Our Heroine, Judith, becoming obsessed with her glamorous archaeologist neighbour, Sir Tybalt Travers. Judith though is having to earn a crust working as a downtrodden companion to the horrible Lady Bodrean, and doesn’t think she has a hope of attracting Tybalt’s attentions. Of course she does, they get married, and she joins him on an archaeological dig in the Land of the Pharaohs. When people close to her begin to die in a series of bizarre happenings, many blame The Curse, but Judith thinks it is something much more earthly. An exciting, well-written read, perhaps only let down by the fact that Tybalt isn’t a very warm character. He only comes out of his cold-bloodied attitude right at the end.